Too late
by lord of the land of fire
Summary: The Chairman and Ruby arrive too late to save Tsukune. Leading to a tragic end.


"Please don't think badly of me Tsukune." She drew her hand back. "I love you."

Without hesitation her hand plunged through his chest and heart and out his back. She yanked her hand back out again as Kurumu screamed and Mizore and Yukari cried out.

Tsukune stood there for a moment with a hand sized hole torn through him. He did not cry or beg for mercy. Ghouls knew neither pain nor fear; bloodlust was the only thing they ever felt. But as she looked into his face she saw understanding in those blood red eyes. In his final moment a little of his humanity was returned to him.

He smiled at her. "Thank you Moka," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Then he fell.

"TSUKUNE!!" Kurumu ran to him and knelt down in his blood. Not caring she placed his head in her lap and began to weep.

Mizore and Yukari cautiously approached. They didn't want to see, they truly didn't, but they were unable to look away. Seeing his lifeless body they too began to cry.

Moka looked away, unable to bear it any longer. _It's my fault, I should have saved him! It was my blood that killed him. Oh Tsukune, forgive me! _He was gone, the boy who she had loved was gone, and she had killed him. She was to blame, and inside her heart she was already punishing herself. But there were others to blame too, and they would pay. Oh how they would pay!

The worthless scum who had kidnapped her all in the effort to bring, 'the vampire' to their trap were all lying on the cold wet cement floor beaten unconscious. They were all still breathing but they were all dead men, she would see to that before she left this place.

Since none of them were getting up any time soon she ignored most of them for now. The only one who interested her was Midou, their leader. Grabbing him roughly by the neck she hauled him to his feet.

"Aaaarg!" he came awake with a start. "Please stop! I give! I surrender."

She slammed a fist into his belly making him cry in fresh pain while holding on to him with her other hand. "You surrender?" She mocked him. "Did you give Tsukune that option?!" She hit him again and heard a crack as she broke one of his ribs.

"Moka what are you doing?" A fearful Yukari asked.

"This dog was part of an organization called Anti-thesis, a group of worthless mongrels bent on murdering their betters. Tsukune is dead now because of them and I mean to take revenge. He is going to tell me everything I want to know about them before I end his life."

The little witch quivered at the cruel words and the harsh tone in which they'd been spoken. Inner Moka had always been strong and a bit scary, but she had never crossed the line and actually taken a life before. "Moka, you can't just kill someone who can't fight back! That would make you as bad as them."

Moka turned a cold eye to Yukari and the little girl skittered back away from her. "Yes, I suppose it would. And so what?"

Yukari backed away from her, actually afraid.

XXXXXXXXXX

And as this was going on two figures in white robes arrived in the shadows.

"It seems we are too late," the Chairman said sadly.

"No! It can't be!" Ruby said. "We have to…" She tried to rush forward but the Chairman grabbed her arm.

"No, there is nothing we can do now. And if we tell those poor children that Tsukune might have been saved it will only add to their pain. It's best we simply leave."

Ruby looked at him heartbroken. "Is there really nothing you can do?"

"Some things are beyond the power of even a Hades Lord to fix."

From the shadows they heard Midou yell out in pain as Moka snapped his arm at the elbow so that it bent at the wrong direction.

"We have to stop Moka from what she's doing. She's torturing him!"

"No," the Chairman said. His voice was calculating and certain. "Perhaps this is the best way after all."

"Best way?" Ruby looked at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"She will hunt them down for me, all of them. She will rid me of Anti-thesis, and even if she should go too far my hands will be clean."

"Is that what all this was about?" She said accusingly. "Did you sacrifice Tsukune just to deal with a problem you had?"

"Antithesis was always a part of it, yes, but I assure you I never meant to sacrifice Tsukune. I actually had great hopes for him, just as I once did for Hokuto. His death is a tragedy, but I am forced to make the best of the situation. If Moka wishes to perform a service for me and the school by ridding us of this threat who am I to say no?"

"How very practical," Ruby said in a bitter voice. Though she could see the brutal logic to it she could not make herself feel dispassionate at Tsukune's needless death.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Is that all?" Moka demanded in a voice as cold and distant as the grave. "Are those all the members of your foul organization?"

"Yes," Midou murmured weakly. "Please, I've given you what you want. Please spare me."

"No," she said pulling her arm back. "What I want is your life and the life of every last member of your corrupt gang."

As she had done with Tsukune her hand went through his heart killing him immediately. Unlike with Tsukune she felt nothing as he died before her. She then turned to the others who were still unconscious to quickly dispatch them before she left to go hunting.

"We have to do something!" Yukari cried. "Moka's going to kill all those boys. No matter what they did that's just plain murder."

"What can we do?" Mizore asked quietly. "We all know we're no match for her, and like this she might kill us if we got in her way."

"Let her do what she wants," Kurumu said through her tears. She closed Tsukune's eyes and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. His body was already starting to grow cold. "It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing matters anymore." She carefully laid his head down on the floor and placed his hands on his chest. If not for the blood and the hole there he might have been asleep.

"We have to do something Tsukune wouldn't want this!"

Kurumu stood up and began walking away. "Tsukune is gone, my destined one is gone, what difference does it make now?"

"There's nothing we can do Yukari," Mizore said sadly and also began to leave.

Yukari looked to where Moka was and saw her start to kill the unconscious gang members. She moved with precision and speed, like a reaper cutting down wheat. She showed no feeling at all as she killed them.

Unable to do anything else Yukari ran away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hokuto was still in the meeting room working on plans for the cultural festival when he heard the door open and footsteps approaching. Looking up from his papers he couldn't keep the statement from appearing on his face. There, walking steadily towards him was a vampire. He immediately recognized her as Moka of course. His surprise came not simply because she was in her true form. It was also due to her appearance. Along with her silver hair and demonic eyes her school uniform was dirty and torn near to shreds. He could see most of her bra and most of her legs and stomach.

Both her arms were drenched in blood up past her elbows.

"Good evening Akashiya Moka," he said calmly. "You look to be in distress. Can I help you?"

"You're the last," she told him. "I've killed everyone else in your organization including your lieutenant Kiria. You're all that's left now."

"I see," he replied and casually removed his jacket. Wrapped around his right forearm was a gold chain with a small lock on it. "That's really too bad Kiria was my best friend, my only friend."

Before he could touch the lock Moka's grabbed it and his wrist in and iron hold. He grimaced in pain.

"I take it that is some sort of seal? Like my rosario? Under other circumstances I might enjoy a fair fight but I want you to suffer and so I think I'll have you keep your seal." Her grip tightened and he let out a small bark of pain. Sealed as he was he was no match for her.

"What do you want?" He asked with as much dignity as he could muster.

"To see you suffer and then die," she told him. "But before that I want to know something, why? Why did you create Anti-thesis? Why did you come after me and Tsukune?"

Through the pain he managed a slight grin. "Why? I had a plan to get revenge on not only the monster world but the human one as well for all the torment both caused me. It was all for revenge. As for you and Tsukune, that was never my doing. My lower level operatives attacked you all on their own without even bothering to get permission from me. I wasn't aware the two of you had been targeted."

"Even if that is true you created an organization aimed at attacking your betters. Had you never created Anti-thesis Tsukune would be alive now."

He continued to smile despite the pain. "I see, so you're here for revenge too. Well I can respect that."

"I care nothing for your respect," she told him. "Well you've answered my question; now let's start with making you suffer."

She did so and took her time about it.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day there were wild rumors flying through the school about dozens of students brutally killed by a vampire, including their beloved class president Hokuto. There was no official announcement from the administration so the students were left to guess what had happened and what might happen in the future.

Yukari went to class despite of everything that had happened. With everything she'd suffered being in class with other people was the best thing for her. It was infinitely better than being alone in her room thinking about what she'd seen.

She'd hoped to have lunch with the other girls, but none of them came to the cafeteria. She didn't spot them in the halls during school or when she stopped by the newspaper club. None of them showed up and it was left to her to tell Gin about what had happened to Tsukune and the others.

Afterwards she hurried to the girls' dorm to try and talk to Moka. When she knocked on Moka's door it opened right up as it was not locked. Having a bad feeling she entered.

"Moka-san? Moka-san are you in here?"

Everything looked normal. There were school books on her desk and dishes in her kitchenette sink. The bed was neatly made and the room had the pleasant scent of herbs and perfume. But then Yukari saw something that had been left there on the kitchen counter.

Moka's rosario.

As soon as she saw that she was certain she would never again see her dear friend. She broke down and began to cry. She cried for Tsukune and for Moka and for the others.

But mostly she cried for all the hopes and dreams that had died last night and were gone forever.


End file.
